Dozens of attacks on children are to be investigated by police following an award-winning investigation by the Derby Telegraph.

The newspaper’s 2016 exposé – which won it the “Story of the Year” award at the Press Club-organised Midlands Media Awards - into experiments on children at Aston Hall mental hospital led to dozens of former patients sharing claims of abuse at the hands of Dr Kenneth Milner in the 1960s and 1970s. Now Derbyshire Police has announced it is investigating more than 100 claims of abuse at the hospital.

The story began with a tip-off from a contact of crime reporter Isaac Crowson and the abuse only came to light after a long-running and determined investigation by the Derby Telegraph, resulting in Derbyshire Police’s biggest-ever child abuse probe.

Detectives have questioned 115 patients and say 65 are being treated as victims, with the force also confirming that if Dr Milner, who died in 1976, were alive he would have been quizzed over rape, indecent assault and child cruelty allegations.